Abstract

It is widely believed that there is no alternative to capitalism. Over the last two decades
however, the critical geography literature on diverse economies has demonstrated the
existence of alternatives to capitalism by revealing the persistence of non-capitalist forms of
work and organisation. The aim in this paper is to question the validity and usefulness of
continuing to frame these non-capitalist practices as "alternatives". Positioning non-capitalist
economic practices as “alternatives” fails to capture not only the ubiquity of such practices in
everyday life, but also how those engaging do not see them as “alternatives” in the sense of a
second choice, or less desirable option, to capitalist practices. The intention in doing so is to
reveal that it is not non-capitalist practices that are “alternative” but rather, capitalist practices
themselves, thus opening up the future to the possibility of a non-capitalist world more fully
than has so far been the case.
Key words: Economic geography qualitative UK capitalism diverse economies
community self-help

Item Type:

Article

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